Global| Sep 17 2013U.S. Home Builders Index Remains At Highest Level Since 2005
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo held at 58 this month after a 2 point advance in August. The latest level remained the highest since November 2005 but disappointed [...]
The Composite Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo held at 58 this month after a 2 point advance in August. The latest level remained the highest since November 2005 but disappointed expectations for a rise to 59. The index of single-family home sales held at 62, the highest since December 2005. The index of sales during the next six months slipped to 65 and gave up some the gains during the last two months. Realtors saw the traffic index of prospective buyers strengthen to another high compared to late 2005.
Activity strengthened m/m across the country in September. The index for the Northeast showed the largest gain with a 6 point rise to 45. The figure for the West followed with a 3 point rise to 62. The Midwest index rose to 66 from 64 and the figure for the South gained to 58 from 56. The NAHB figures are seasonally adjusted.
The NAHB has compiled the Housing Market Index since 1985. It reflects survey questions asking builders to rate market conditions as "good," "fair," "poor" or "very high" to "very low." The figure is thus a diffusion index with numerical results over 50 indicating a predominance of "good" readings. The weights assigned to the individual index components are .5920 for single family detached sales, present-time, .1358 for single family detached sales, next six months; and .2722 for traffic of prospective buyers. The results are included in Haver's SURVEYS database. The expectation figure is available in Haver's MMSAMER database.
| National Association of Home Builders | Sep | Aug | Jul | Sep'12 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Housing Market Index, SA (All Good=100) | 58 | 58 | 56 | 40 | 34 | 16 | 16 |
| Single-Family Sales | 62 | 62 | 59 | 42 | 36 | 16 | 16 |
| Single-Family Sales: Next Six Months | 65 | 68 | 67 | 51 | 41 | 22 | 23 |
| Traffic of Prospective Buyers | 47 | 46 | 45 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 12 |
| Northeast | 45 | 39 | 40 | 31 | 29 | 17 | 20 |
| Midwest | 66 | 64 | 62 | 45 | 36 | 14 | 14 |
| South | 58 | 56 | 54 | 39 | 34 | 18 | 17 |
| West | 62 | 59 | 61 | 44 | 38 | 15 | 13 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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